The present invention relates to a bonded composite of a first thin-section element of sheet material and a second thin-section element bonded together by a bond pattern. More particularly, one of the contemplated applications for the present invention is in bonding outer cover and body side liner thin-section elements of absorbent articles to one another.
Absorbent articles have been known for a long time as personal care hygiene products. Absorbent articles find use, for example, as diapers, training pants, incontinence products, women's sanitary pads, and the like. Such absorbent articles are designed and constructed to absorb and store liquid bodily excretions such as urine, menstrual fluid, or blood. Women's sanitary pads are used, for example, to absorb the liquids excreted prior to, during, and after menstruation.
In absorbent articles, the portions of the article where different layers or components are bonded to each other tend to incur significant stress concentrations, and in absorbent articles using conventional bond patterns, tend to fracture at those bonded locations under such stresses. In conventional patterns used in absorbent articles, bond locations are disposed in uniform and crossing straight lines and straight rows of circular bond elements. The inventors herein have noted that such bond configuration has been found to enhance the probability that the absorbent article will tear and that the tear propagates along the side edge of the bond pattern. Tearing properties of such conventional patterns can be compared to perforated paper forms.
The problem addressed in the present invention is thus to provide a bonded composite demonstrating a bond pattern, and an absorbent article implementing the bond pattern, whereby the configuration of the bond pattern discourages the possibility for fracture of the bonded composite or absorbent article at the bond pattern.
The present invention solves this problem by means of the bonded composite as well as the absorbent article both disclosed and described in the independent claims. Additional advantageous embodiments of the absorbent article in accord with the invention and of the process in accordance with the invention arise from the dependent claims, the specification, and the drawings.
It is an object of this invention to reduce the ease of tearing of a bonded composite or absorbent article by introducing bonding patterns which discourage straight fracture of the bonded materials, and encourage dissipating an initially concentrated force within a substantial area of the bonding pattern.